Etymograph

English

hither

Hither comes from Old English hider ‘to here, hither’, from Proto-Germanic *hiz ‘this’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱís.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱís‘this (here)’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hiz‘this’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hidrê‘to this place, to here, hither’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150hider‘to here, hither’
  5. Englishearliest quotation c. 1588–1593hither

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱís‘this (here)’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hiz‘this’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hidrê‘to this place, to here, hither’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150hider‘to here, hither’
  5. Englishearliest quotation c. 1588–1593hither

Earliest quotation: c. 1588–1593, William Shakespeare, The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus: “SATURNINUS: Go fetch them hither to us presently. TITUS:…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ḱís ‘this (here)’

cis, 1 more

through Proto-Germanic *hiz ‘this’

he, his, him, her, here, hey, en, hence, 1 more

Today it means

adv To this place, to here.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ḱís / hither

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